Story tip: Drivers at risk from top myth

Half of all people polled recently believe what appears to be a widely held and possibly dangerous myth... ..that lowering the car windows or turning up the air-conditioning will help you stay awake while driving.

Experts, however, warn that it's a dangerous misconception, liable to risk the lives of drivers, their passengers and others. 10 common sleep myths are ranked in a survey of 4,337 American, British and French adults conducted by Calm, the sleep and meditation app.

The most widely held sleep myth in Calm's poll:

-Lowering the car windows or turning up the air-conditioning will help you stay awake when driving. (Believed by 50% of Americans; 56% of all respondents).

"There are so many common myths about sleep that we wanted to find out which ones are, in fact, most widely believed," says Michael Acton Smith, co-founder of Calm.

America's National Sleep Foundation warns that such alleged "aids" to wakefulness as turning up the radio, opening the window or turning on the air conditioner, don't work and are downright dangerous"

They are ineffective and can be dangerous to anyone who is driving while feeling drowsy or sleepy, as well as their passengers and others on the road. If you're feeling tired while driving, pull off the road in a safe rest area and take a nap for 15-45 minutes."

"Some sleep myths are fairly harmless, while others are seriously dangerous," says Alex Tew, co-founder of Calm.

The single most widely held sleep myth Lowering the car windows or turning up the air-conditioning will help you stay awake when driving& falls squarely into the latter category.